HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday announced handing over the reins of power to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

In an address to the nation, HH Sheikh Hamad said that HH Sheikh Tamim “is up to the responsibility, deserving the confidence, capable of shouldering the responsibility and fulfilling the mission”.

HH Sheikh Hamad said that the time had come to open a new page in the history of our nation, “where a new generation steps forward to shoulder the responsibility with their dynamic potential and creative thoughts”.

Expressing his strong confidence in Qatar’s young generation, he said: “Our young men have proven over the past years that they are a people of resolve and fortitude; capable of accommodating the spirit of their time; realising its necessities fully and profoundly, coping with its newest and above all contributing by their original thinking and creative initiatives.”

Explaining his reason to hand over power to Sheikh Tamim, Sheikh Hamad said: “My fellow Qataris, as I move to another position in serving my homeland and its people, I hope I have succeeded in bearing responsibility in a way that first pleases God and in a way that lives up to people’s expectations.”

Hundreds of people visited the Emiri Diwan to swear allegiance to Sheikh Tamim who stood next to his father to welcome them.

Congratulatory messages poured in from all over the world for HH Sheikh Tamim just after the handover announcement.

At the age of 33, Sheikh Tamim becomes the youngest-ever sovereign in the Gulf Arab states.

Qatari political analyst Mohamed al-Misfer told Doha-based Al Jazeera TV channel that he did not expect major changes after the handover, adding that Sheikh Tamim was already involved in running the country under his father’s direction.